[Quadlist] Tape cleaning solutions

[C. Park Seward]

Of course Pelon wipes are the recommended to material to use on tapes.

http://usrecordingmedia-store.stores.yahoo.net/quclwi1x15.html

There may be a way to mount the wipes on a quad machine.

As you know, all Sony Digital Betacam VTRs use a sharp ruby edge to  
shear off contaminants. Seems to work well in that format.

I have used Fantastic "Clean and Shine" on decomposing foam and it  
appears to take away the stickiness.

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 From AMIA:

The Tape Cleaning Process

Tape cleaning is a precise and difficult process and must not be done  
without proper training and equipment. Cleaning of
dry-particulate debris, such as dirt, dust, or shedding binder, shall  
be done with long-fiber, lint-free, non-abrasive tissues.
Both surfaces of the tape shall be wiped. For contaminants other than  
dry-particulate debris, a professional expert shall be
consulted.

It is essential that debris collected during cleaning is removed  
entirely from the tape surface so that it is not re-deposited
back onto the tape. Thorough cleaning can be accomplished by using,  
for example, a vacuum designed for the purpose or
by moving a non-abrasive tissue across the tape surfaces.

Razor blades, playback heads, and abrasive materials shall not be used  
to clean tapes. Burnishing the tape surface may be
used to enhance the cleaning process; however, only burnishing  
mechanisms designed specifically for cleaning magnetic tape
shall be used.

All equipment used for cleaning tape shall have a tape path that is  
fully visible and accessible to the operator during tape
transport. Any surface that comes into contact with the tape during  
cleaning shall be accessible and shall be cleaned before
each tape is placed on the machine.

Some contaminants may cause adjacent tape wraps to adhere. The two  
most common are the oligimer residue from hydrolyt-
ic chemical decay of the tape binder and residues left on the tape  
from exposure to liquids, splices and other foreign con-
taminants.

If tape layers are adhering, tissue wiping or burnishing on a  
mechanical transport shall not be carried out until tapes have
been treated to reduce layer-to-layer adhesion. Refer to Fact Sheet 11  
? Rejuvenating Unplayable Tapes.
AMIA the association of moving image archivists

http://www.amianet.org/resources/guides/fact_sheets.pdf

C. Park Seward
Cell: 818-535-2747
Home: 949-679-1870
Visit us: http://www.videopark.com


On Jul 29, 2008, at 9:22 AM, Allan D McConnell wrote:

> Steve,
>
> I'm anxious to read the responses to your question about cleaning  
> videotapes.   Here in the NAVCC, National Audio Video Conservation  
> Center, we are hoping to resume transferring 2" quad tapes in the  
> very near future.   I never liked, and do not approve of, those  
> older harsh methods for cleaning quad tapes.   Sure would like to  
> find a more suitable solution to the problem.  And in addition to  
> the dirty tapes was the problem of migrating glu and adhesive from  
> inside the tape library care boxes as the foam liners decomposed!
>
> AM
>
>
>
>
> Allan McConnell
> The Library of Congress
> Motion Picture, Broadcasting & Recorded Sound Division
> National Audio-Visual Conservation Center
> Packard Campus
> 19053 Mount Pony Road
> Culpeper, VA 22701-7551
>
> e-mail - amcc at loc.gov
> http://www.loc.gov/avconservation/packard/
>
> CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
> All opinions expressed are my own and do not represent the official  
> view of the Library of Congress
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>>>> "Steve Greene" <steve.greene at nara.gov> 7/29/2008 11:00 AM >>>
> Hello,
> I am the audiovisual archivist at the Nixon Presidential Library.  The
> Nixon Library has over 4,000 quad recordings scattered over several
> collections.  My colleagues at several Presidential Libraries have
> several thousand more recordings.
>
> My question is:  how do folks clean their quad tapes before
> transferring?  Several years ago, when I was transferring in-house, we
> used a Recortec, which always made me a bit nervous.  What solutions  
> are
> out there for cleaning at slower speeds and without the use of  
> abrasive
> blades or grids?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
>
> Steve Greene
> Archivist
> Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
> (301) 837-1772
>
> <Allan D McConnell.vcf>_______________________________________________
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